East Belfast’s first yoga festival!

East Belfast’s first yoga festival!

Maitri Studio & Yoga Quarter are celebrating the success of East Belfast’s first yoga festival that took place over the weekend 5-7 October.

Over 350 people attended 38 yoga classes or events during the festival, many of them trying yoga for the first time.

Both Maitri Studio and Yoga Quarter offered free yoga classes, on Friday evening and then throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday. And then there was yoga out into the community with pop-up classes in venues ranging from cafés to a shop, the new Vault Artist Studios and other local yoga and health practitioner studios.

“We’ve had such great feedback” explains Susan McEwen from Yoga Quarter. “People said how wonderful it was to have such a collaborative event and it inspired them either to try yoga for the first time, or to come along and meet like-minded yogis for a weekend of practice”

Claire Ferry, who runs Maitri Studio and teaches there, agreed “It was a very happy festival, full of laughs and goodwill. We couldn’t have done it without the teachers giving their time freely. People who tried yoga for the first time told us how much they were able to relax, or surprised themselves in what movements they were able to enjoy”.

The benefits of yoga for physical and mental wellbeing are well known. This is why Maitri Studio and Yoga Quarter will continue to work together under the East Belfast Yoga umbrella, along with any other yoga teachers in the East to promote yoga and bring it into the community.

Linda Armitage, Health Development Director, from East Belfast Community Development Agency, supports the project “I think what East Belfast Yoga has done this first year is fantastic. EBCDA look forward to working together next year, to bring yoga into more community groups to support local health and wellbeing”.

So happy was everyone with the success of the festival that the date is set for next year already. Put 4-6 October 2019 into your diaries and meanwhile, get onto your yoga mat for some practice!

RELATED ARTICLES

Cabin Hill Court, a sheltered housing scheme on the Upper Newtownards Road celebrated its 30th anniversary. Residents, friends, family and staff from Choice Housing came together to celebrate this very

ABOUT BLOOM

Welcome to the home of Bloom, the local community magazine with a big difference. A fresh and vibrant publication delivered free to East Belfast households each and every month with a host of fascinating features, news and views plus your one stop shop for all kinds of local businesses.